What Are We Fighting For?
What is at the heart of your battle? What comes before these battles? Are you tired of hearing untruths come out of this person's mouth? Are you fed up with this person not submitting to the Lord? Are you plain sick and tired of being quiet and letting people just say whatever they want about the God you love and adore?
Ask yourself this question.
WHY?
What is at the root of the fierceness you feel?
Maybe you are thinking...
- I love the Lord and I will be heard!!
- I am not being honored for being right! I know about the Lord, they are wrong!
- I will make him/her see the error of their ways!
- How dare they ...
- What is wrong with them?
This list could go on and on.
The Word of God says "they will know us by our love one for another". "Speak
truth with love" "The greatest of these is love". The Bible is full of passages where Christ showed compassion first.
What does love have to do with battle? Love should be at our core for battle. And not just our love for our savior. Love that goes above our emotions. Love that realizes we do not fight against flesh and blood but against the Prince of Darkness.
If you think that the person you plan to war with is your enemy, you are wrong.
This person could be a Christian brother or sister. Who we are commanded to love. Speak truth to, but commanded to love. This person could be a lost soul.
Alone, resentful of the life left over from the enemy's broken promises. This could be a soul ripe for harvest. The most hateful, the most devestated, the most offended are most times, actually the ripest. This could be a person so hurt by another "well meaning" Christian that they are close to saying no to the Holy Spirit for the last time.
Spewing Christian rhetoric at them is not what God intended we do. Being in prayer months before is what God intends. Loving that person with Christ's love long before we even begin to do battle or have tough conversations, is what God intends.
Be in prayer, in love, in God's presence, humbly asking for God's guidance is what we should be doing long before we start even thinking about going into battle.
Remember this as well...
When it came to standing up for himself, Christ was often silent, or avoided a direct answer. He spent His life loving the unlovable. He gave Himself a perfect sacrifice for those that spit on Him, punched at Him, cursed Him, forgot Him, regretted they knew Him. What have you done, in love toward this person or people you are ready to do battle with? If it is only pointing out what they are doing wrong or saying wrong or believing wrong, then you are missing Christ's entire point.
If they are unsaved see them for what they are. A vessel. A vessel that may be filled with wrong direction, wrong or horrible upbringing, a vessel filled with
lies from the very deceptive enemy. This vessel, this person is headed for an eternity in pain, in torment, far away from a God who gave His only son for them.
If they are another Christian. Realize you have made so many mistakes, have listened and been part of the enemy's plan, at one point, as well. See them for where they are. See the path of pain they may be walking on or into. Have compassion. Have enough love and compassion that you approach honestly, humbly, with Jesus at your side. Don't carry righteous
indignation into this battle. Carry Jesus's cross. Remember His pain. Remember how much He loves this fellow Christian. That is how the World
will know we are His. I love the 2 Cor 6:6 talks about love in the midst of the hardships of battle. Enduring through beatings, slander, holding on to
Weapons of Righteousness. Love is at the center of these verses. But also there
is "being separate". There will come times when you must speak up and tell
why you are separate. This should be a big part of your Why We Battle.
The Word of God says "they will know us by our love one for another". "Speak
truth with love" "The greatest of these is love". The Bible is full of passages where Christ showed compassion first.
What does love have to do with battle? Love should be at our core for battle. And not just our love for our savior. Love that goes above our emotions. Love that realizes we do not fight against flesh and blood but against the Prince of Darkness.
If you think that the person you plan to war with is your enemy, you are wrong.
This person could be a Christian brother or sister. Who we are commanded to love. Speak truth to, but commanded to love. This person could be a lost soul.
Alone, resentful of the life left over from the enemy's broken promises. This could be a soul ripe for harvest. The most hateful, the most devestated, the most offended are most times, actually the ripest. This could be a person so hurt by another "well meaning" Christian that they are close to saying no to the Holy Spirit for the last time.
Spewing Christian rhetoric at them is not what God intended we do. Being in prayer months before is what God intends. Loving that person with Christ's love long before we even begin to do battle or have tough conversations, is what God intends.
Be in prayer, in love, in God's presence, humbly asking for God's guidance is what we should be doing long before we start even thinking about going into battle.
Remember this as well...
When it came to standing up for himself, Christ was often silent, or avoided a direct answer. He spent His life loving the unlovable. He gave Himself a perfect sacrifice for those that spit on Him, punched at Him, cursed Him, forgot Him, regretted they knew Him. What have you done, in love toward this person or people you are ready to do battle with? If it is only pointing out what they are doing wrong or saying wrong or believing wrong, then you are missing Christ's entire point.
If they are unsaved see them for what they are. A vessel. A vessel that may be filled with wrong direction, wrong or horrible upbringing, a vessel filled with
lies from the very deceptive enemy. This vessel, this person is headed for an eternity in pain, in torment, far away from a God who gave His only son for them.
If they are another Christian. Realize you have made so many mistakes, have listened and been part of the enemy's plan, at one point, as well. See them for where they are. See the path of pain they may be walking on or into. Have compassion. Have enough love and compassion that you approach honestly, humbly, with Jesus at your side. Don't carry righteous
indignation into this battle. Carry Jesus's cross. Remember His pain. Remember how much He loves this fellow Christian. That is how the World
will know we are His. I love the 2 Cor 6:6 talks about love in the midst of the hardships of battle. Enduring through beatings, slander, holding on to
Weapons of Righteousness. Love is at the center of these verses. But also there
is "being separate". There will come times when you must speak up and tell
why you are separate. This should be a big part of your Why We Battle.
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